As mobile devices and consumer electronic devices target converging markets there is increasing interest in multicast communication technologies. In multicast groups, multiple participants are linked together into an inter-network in which the participants send and receive communications to and from one another. Such networks have a variety of useful applications, from business collaboration to interactive gaming. Multicast groups are not without their hazards, however, as members have communication access to all members of the group. Allowing an intruder into a multicast group could leave members vulnerable to electronic attack and eavesdropping. Accordingly, most multicast groups employ some form of security or authentication protocols to limit group access. Such mechanisms may work well in established and stable groups. However, ad hoc multicast groups and groups that frequently add and delete members may become burdened by such security or authentication protocols.